TEAMS will need to adjust quickly to an unfamiliar venue when the PBA Philippine Cup resumes its games in Pampanga.
A league insider told Malaya-Business Insight that the league plans to hold its games in Bacolor instead of the Angeles University Foundation gym, site of last year’s Philippine Cup bubble.
If plans do not change in the coming days, the games will now be played at the Don Honorio Ventura State University.
That move may entail some teams altering their accommodation plans in the province and moving closer to the new venue.
The source added the league’s main consideration for shifting to DHVSU is the current health situation in Angeles City, among the areas in the country placed under Alert Level 4 by national health officials due to an alarming rise in coronavirus cases.
The entire province of Pampanga is on the same alert level, but Gov. Delfin Pineda verbally agreed to let the PBA play in Bacolor due to the municipality’s relatively low COVID cases as well as the school’s location itself.
“Wala siya sa isang crowded city, like the AUF,” said the source. “In fact, medyo isolated nga siya and medyo mahirap puntahan so considered safer siya than other gyms or venues within the province.”
The only thing needed, the source added, is for Pineda to officially approve the PBA moving to the province.
The PBA kicked off its new season last July 16 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig but was forced to temporarily suspend its games after its last playdate of Aug. 1 in anticipation of Metro Manila being placed under ECQ for a two-week period starting Aug. 6.
After getting an IATF authorization to play in areas that are under GCQ or lower, the PBA finally settled on Pampanga, which is under GCQ.
The PBA plans to resume games by the last week of this month and the teams moving into Pampanga would be hastened should they all present the required certification of acceptance from the places they are staying in.
In a previous interview, PBA Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro said majority of the 12 teams are staying in Clark, which is about 45 minutes from Bacolor.
Once all those certificates are in, the PBA would forward those documents to Pineda, who will then make official the green light, which includes playing at DHVSU.
“Kailangan din formal approval ni Gov sa DHVSU, kasi nga state university iyon,” added the source.
